Washington, January 31: Swedish furniture maker, Ikea has brought over 10,000 acres of forest land near Altamaha River Basin in US's Georgia to protect it from development. The area is reportedly rich in bio-diversity and homes more than 350 spices of flora and fauna. Over the years, Ikea has brought more than 60,000 acres of land across America and Europe to protect the diverse ecosystem.

"We truly believe responsible forest management is possible and we see that a large part of our responsibility towards the land we own, and by extension the planet, is to restore forests and plant more than we harvest," Krister Mattsson, the Managing Diretor of Ingka Investments which runs Ikea, told CNN.IKEA to Discontinue Printing Its Annual Catalogue After 70 Years, Says 'Emotional But Rational Move.'

"In all our properties nature conservation is important. In this particular US investment in Georgia, first it is important that the land cannot be broken up into small units and it remains forever forestland," added Mattsson. IKEA to Invest Rs 5,000 Crore in UP, Will Open Around a Dozen Outlets in State.

An environmentally conscious Ikea has, has bought around 612,821 acres of forestland in the US, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania since 2014 to conserve the ecosystem and protect it from development. It also owns forest properties in Alabama, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 31, 2021 03:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).